I am fairly young, 22, and I've always loved doing puzzles, but recently am more into them - trying to learn all the different ones, etc. I do make mistakes sometimes, and with pen (I have a real nice pen), its so hard to change things, but pencils don't always write good on the "newsprint" type paper in the books and it smudges and it hard to read.

What is your favorite Utensil for puzzles? Or do you use pen and use a pad of paper on the side? With Cryptoquizzes I usually work them on the computer, but now that I am so much more into these...I need a better solution - especially for the new puzzles I have been trying!

Hi scrapqueen0126,I use a Ticonderoga #2 pencil, a separate pink eraser, and work a single page at a time (that's been removed from a magazine) on my writing board. The pencil writing shows up better this way. I usually use the space in the margins around a puzzle for figuring, but if more space is needed, the back of any scrap paper is used. A pen wouldn't do for me as I guess a lot, make little notes, possible answers, etc. Need that eraser! Frances.<em>edited by Frances on 8/16/2010</em>

I always prefer to use a standard pencil, but if you're having problems with smudging and still want an eraser you may want to try a mechanical pencil. Those are especially good for the Crypto- puzzles which only give that small margin of space above (or below) to solve.

Wonder if you'll come back after almost two years since you first wrote? Ahhhhhhhhhhhh to be 22 again and have the benefit and fun of all these different kinds of word games!

I use 3 different color ball point pens! For actually "doing" the puzzle, I use red ('cause it contrasts nicely with grids, clues, etc.). If I make a mistake, I correct in green (again another contrast). For answers I have no clue or are actually incorrect, when I check the answers, I correct in black!

Now don't laugh ~ but upon completion ~ if there are no corrections nor wrong entries I put a red "star" with a circle at the top of the puzzle. If I have green entry or entries, I put a green "star" with no circle at the top of the puzzle! Sadly, if I've made mistake(s) I put a black X plus the number of wrong entries! It's sort of like "grading" my own test! No, never, have I ever completed any book with all red entries!

That sounds like a pretty clever system, Debbi! I recently began marking the number of boxes I marked the wrong letter in or had to refer to the solution for in crossword puzzles, with a "score" at the top of the completed puzzle (-0, -1, etc.). Like you, I am still waiting for an issue that I can complete with no mistakes.

Also, I number "items" I complete ~ sort of like: If there are 10 questions, I number those answers 1-10. If the answers need to be put somewhere else, like a phrase ~ then, I "second" number them 11-21. If I can't get an answer from a clue ~ I read the phrase (or whatever) and guess a word, inserting the letters in the guess and transferring them to the clues! Then, I might be able to "get" the clue! Whew! ~ This gives me another "total"!

You see, I was a caregiver to someone who was "forgetful" ~ and I joined a Forum for caregivers! Regardless of the "reason" for being forgetful ~ there was a "common thread" for a lot of the "patients". That common thread was: They always did crossword puzzles and were good at it!!!!

Sadly, they still became "forgetful". So I "added", out of desperation(?), another step for memory retention and that was "counting" along with solving. I'm lousy at math ~ so I can't do those "math puzzles"; but I can sure add from 1 to 2400 (depending on the size of the puzzle)!

I also note the date and time, I start and finish a puzzle ~ was I ever pleasantly surprised at all the hours puzzles have brought me such extreme pleasure!

Would it sound too blundering and awful if I'm a pen guy, and I roll over mistakes with darker pen scratch?? Heheh. The way I see it, I'm not trying to impress anyone but myself, so my rather engraved corrections might only last as far as how much of an impression they left on the paper beneath!<em>edited by TheDarkHorseOne on 5/29/2011</em>

Hi TDHO,I think many of us do the mark-it-over-darker for some of our mistakes, and as long as you can make out the right answer clearly enough, it works okay. I liked Debbi64's idea of colored inks. I'm so good at goofs, though, (misread the clue, letter/number in the wrong place, or just plain wrong) it's a pencil and big eraser for me. But after all, it's your puzzle and you can play with it however you want!Frances.

Hi TDHO,I think many of us do the mark-it-over-darker for some of our mistakes, and as long as you can make out the right answer clearly enough, it works okay. I liked Debbi64's idea of colored inks. I'm so good at goofs, though, (misread the clue, letter/number in the wrong place, or just plain wrong) it's a pencil and big eraser for me. But after all, it's your puzzle and you can play with it however you want!Frances.

Heheheh, yeah, Frances. I agree with you about Debbi's interesting idea. She's not the only one that grades her puzzles either, although mine either get a checkmark or a big fat X. I think I get the pen thing from my Mom. She's forever been solving crosswords in pen, so I've just always done the same. I got a Variety and Crossword value pack a few years ago and gave her a number of issues. Sadly, she returned them to me with just the crosswords done... She's since told me she regretted not trying some of the other puzzles. Little does she know that I got another round of the 40 all Variety pack, and I'll be sending her some of those along with maybe one or two of my 28 coveted Logic Problem books, heheh. Sorry Mom, no crosswords!! Seriously, she's getting on in years and is suffering from a little dementia, so I think these books will give her some good mental exercise. Even if she's just trying them, they might help a little.

Yes, I'am strange. I've been doing these puzzles since I was 15, I'm 53 now. For as long as I can remember I've used Precise V5 pens. I've been known to drive 20 miles to get a packet of them with the different colored pens. My Mom's the same way. Also, I can only do puzzles with a lap desk. Normally tilting back on the couch. I'm OCD in many ways. Anybody else like this?

I bought some pencils, but they seem to tear the pages and just aren't as smooth as a NICE black or blue pen! I have been using one of the BIC White Out roller pens - and when I make a mistake, I just white out over!

I think I wanna go to some sort of grading system - I like the start end date idea too!

Hi, I just bought the erasable pens when reading this post and my Penny Dell order just arrived showing a company flyer that sells erasable blue ink pens with refills. I hope the pens work well. I NEED blue ink due to the newprint is already black and for wizard words the left over remaining letters I can find easier if using blue vs black ink.

No one is "grading" my puzzle books. If you read my post I say I use BLUE ink on the existing black newsprint due to the remaining letters on word seek wizard words I usually circle those in red to find the answer easier on my poor eyesight....and I am very young; just very near sighted.

I've enjoyed reading every one's posts. I like using mechanical pencils for two main reasons, 1) I love logic puzzles and usually have to fill in my answers in a small area so the fine point of a mechanical pencil comes in handy, and 2) I enjoy Logic Art puzzles and with all the filling in of the squares I do, it's nice not having to keep sharpening a pencil.

Along side my mechanical pencil I have a Pentel Click Eraser. Best eraser I have ever used!! It stays soft and pliable, doesn't tear the page and erases markings well.

I usually use a mechanical pencil, Pentel 0.7. Sometimes I use the eraser on that pencil, and I also have a Pink Pearl and a separate white eraser which I sometimes use. When I have a tricky puzzle, I'll make photocopies of the page involved, and try out different scenarios in different colors of pencil or pen on the photocopied page. If I know that, for example, "the first caller is either Simon or Nancy," and I also know that, say, "Simon's last name is either Smithor Jones," I'll try out "first caller is Simon" with a red pen, go as far as I can go with that assumption, and then might try out "Simon is Smith" with a greenpen and see where that takes me.

Then if that combination doesn't work out, I can do a 2nd page with Simon as first caller in red again, but last name as Smith this time, in, say, blue, and seewhere that takes me. (If both of them bomb out, I conclude Simon can't possibly be the first caller.)

Has anyone found an erasable pen that works really well? Last time I used an erasable pen (years ago) I remember getting ink on the side of my hand and the ink not erasing completely. I still like my mechanical pencils, but when puzzling at night by a lamp, I sometimes wish for something that prints a little darker.<em>edited by Purple Pisces on 2/20/2012</em>

Has anyone found an erasable pen that works really well? Last time I used an erasable pen (years ago) I remember getting ink on the side of my hand and the ink not erasing completely. I still like my mechanical pencils, but when puzzling at night by a lamp, I sometimes wish for something that prints a little darker.edited by Purple Pisces on 2/20/2012

No, Pisces, I don't know much about erasable pens. But I sometimes keep a Black Warrior #2 pencil handy, to use in conjunction with my Pentelmechanical pencils.